In the weeks leading up to the draft, Perfect Game will be providing a detailed overview of each state in the U.S., including the District of Columbia, as well as Canada and Puerto Rico. These overviews will list the state's strengths, weaknesses and the players with the best tools, as well as providing scouting reports on all Group 1 and 2 players as ranked in Perfect Game's state-by-state scouting lists. Please visit this page for all of the links to Perfect Game's 2013 Draft Preview content.

South Carolina State-by-State List
South
Carolina colleges have collectively been among the most productive in
the nation in terms of churning out high-end talent for the draft
year after year. In 2012, a record 14 players from in-state colleges
were selected in the top 10 rounds, including Clemson third baseman
Richie Shaffer in the first round.
This
year, the draftable talent in the South Carolina college ranks is the
thinnest in memory, with the possibility that no more than 2-3
players will be taken in the first 10 rounds, and possibly none in
the top five. Fortunately, the high-school talent is more plentiful
than usual, led by projected first-rounder Nick Ciuffo, and there is
a distinct possibility that more prep players could be scooped up in
the initial 10 rounds than were drafted altogether a year ago (4).

STRENGTH:
High-school talentWEAKNESS:
College talentOVERALL
RATING
(1-to-5 scale): 2
BEST
COLLEGE TEAM:
South CarolinaBEST
JUNIOR-COLLEGE TEAM:
Spartanburg MethodistBEST
HIGH SCHOOL TEAM:
Lexington
PROSPECT
ON THE RISE: C.D. Pelham, lhp, Lancaster HS. As
a previously-unknown, 6-foot-4 lefthander who almost overnight came
out throwing his fastball in the low-90s (with reports of
the pitch touching 95), Pelham caused quite a stir among scouts in
the Carolinas midway through the 2013 high-school season. It’s
unclear what kind of an impact Pelham’s sudden emergence will have
on the draft because he is so raw in his overall development as a
potential pitching prospect, but he became a must-see arm for
cross-checkers in the weeks leading up to the draft.
WILD
CARD: Tyler Webb, lhp, University of South Carolina. The
6-foot-6 Webb has earned the close scrutiny of scouts this spring on
the basis of his dominant 2013 season as the closer for South
Carolina, but most are wary of his history of elbow injuries,
advanced age (23 in July) and fluctuating velocity on his fastball
this spring that may stem from a heavy workload. Through 21
appearances for the Gamecocks, Webb had a 0.59 ERA, 14 saves, seven
walks and 44 strikeouts in 30 innings, and .170 opponent batting
average—dominant numbers by any measure, and ones that may prompt a
team to take an early-round stab at Webb.
BEST
OUT-OF-STATE PROSPECT, South Carolina Connection:
Daniel Palka, of, Georgia Tech (Attended high school in Lyman)Top2014
Prospect:
Grant Holmes, rhp, Conway HSTop
2015 Prospect: Clate
Schmidt, rhp, Clemson University
HIGHEST
DRAFT PICKS
Draft
History:
Kris Benson, rhp, Clemson University (1996, Pirates/1st round, 1st pick)2008
Draft: Justin
Smoak, 1b, University of South Carolina (Rangers/1st round, 11th pick)2009
Draft: Chris
Owings, ss, Gilbert HS (Diamondbacks/1st round, 41st pick)2010
Draft: Kyle
Parker, 1b, Clemson University (Rockies/1st round, 26th pick)2011
Draft: Taylor
Guerreri, rhp, Spring Valley HS, North Augusta (Rays/1st round, 24th pick)2012
Draft: Richie
Shaffer, 3b, Clemson University (Rays/1st round, 25th pick)
2012 DRAFT OVERVIEW
College
Players Drafted/Signed:
23/21Junior
College Players Drafted/Signed:
4/4High
School Players Drafted/Signed:
4/1
BEST
TOOLS
Best
Athlete: Jacob
May, of, Coastal Carolina UniversityBest
Hitter:
Nick Ciuffo, c, Lancaster HSBest
Power:
Nick Ciuffo, c, Lancaster HSBest
Speed: Jacob
May, of, Coastal Carolina UniversityBest
Defender:
Nick Ciuffo, c, Lancaster HSBest
Velocity:
Akeem Bostick, rhp, West Florence HSBest
Breaking Stuff:
Tyler Webb, lhp, University of South CarolinaBest
Pitchability: Tyler
Webb, lhp, University of South Carolina

TOP
PROSPECTS, GROUPS 1 and 2
GROUP 1
(rounds 1-3)
1. NICK CIUFFO, c,
Lexington HSA
left handed hitting catcher with significant power potential,
solid-average arm strength and take-charge skills beyond his years,
Ciuffo has first-round ability in all phases of his game. This year’s
crop of prep catching prospects is unusually deep, but Ciuffo has
been everything he was cracked up to be this spring—and maybe
more—and rates at least an even chance of being taken off the draft
board first among his peers, probably late in the first round. For
more on Ciuffo, see David Rawnsley’s Draft Focus feature.

This is Insider Level content. You must be a subscriber to read the rest. Want to read more???